Cysteinamide--containing permanent wave composition and method

Abstract

A new and improved cysteinamide reducing agent, such as cysteinamide hydrochloride, capable of breaking sulfur to sulfur cystine bonds in human hair for use in permanent wave and hair straightening compositions, to provide additional set retention in hair sprays, styling aids, mousse and hair bodifying compositions, and to provide the hair with additional body when incorporated into shampoos, conditioners and conditioning shampoo compositions. In one embodiment, the cysteinamide reducing agent compounds are used for the reducing agent in permanent waving of human hair in the form of a mild alkaline permanent wave reducing composition and in a method of permanently waving or reshaping human hair that provides a strong, long lasting curl.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A composition capable of breaking sulfur to sulfur bonds in human hair when in contact with said human hair so that said hair can be reconfigured in a predetermined configuration, comprising an aqueous solution of a cysteinamide in an amount of about .1% to about 22% by weight; and sufficient alkali such that the composition has a pH of about 7.5 to about 9.5. 
     
     
       2. The composition of claim 1 further including a polyhydric moisturizer selected from the group consisting of polyhydroxyalkyl compounds; polyalkylene glycols; glyceryl ether compounds; ethoxylated fatty alcohols; ethoxylated alkyl phenols; fatty alcohol polyglycol ether compounds; and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the cysteinamide is included in an amount of about 4% to about 16% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
       4. The composition of claim 3, wherein the cysteinamide is cysteinamide hydrochloride. 
     
     
       5. The composition of claim 2, wherein the moisturizer is glycerine or a polyalkylene glycol ether of glycerine having an average ethoxylation value of 5 to 50. 
     
     
       6. The composition of claim 1 further including a quaternary ammonium conditioning compound in an amount of about 0.1% to about 2.0% by weight of composition. 
     
     
       7. The composition of claim 1, wherein the cysteinamide is included in the composition in an amount of about 9% to about 16% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
       8. A method of breaking sulfur to sulfur bonds in human hair to leave the hair weakened so that it can be reconfigured to a predetermined configuration, while minimizing further damage to damaged hair, including contacting the hair for a predetermined amount of time with an aqueous cysteinamide reducing agentcontaining composition comprising about 1% to about 22% by weight of cysteinamide; and sufficient alkali such that the composition has a pH of about 7.5 to about 9.5; forming the hair in a desired configuration such that the hair is in contact with the reducing agentcontaining composition for a predetermined amount of time while formed in the new configuration; and then removing most of the reducing agent-containing composition from the hair at the expiration of the predetermined time period. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 8 further including wrapping a plurality of human hair sections around a plurality of mandrels to reconfigure the hair sections in a plurality of curl configurations such that the hair is curl-configured while in contact with the reducing agent-containing composition; and removing the mandrels sequentially after said predetermined time period without testing the hair from one of the first removed mandrels for curl tightness. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 8, wherein the compositions includes a polyhydric moisturizer in an amount of about 0.1% to about 20% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
       11. The method of claim 10, where the polyhydric moisturizer is selected from the group consisting of polyhydroxyalkyl compounds; polyalkylene glycols; glyceryl ether compounds; ethoxylated fatty alcohols; ethoxylated alkyl phenols; and fatty alcohol polyglycol ether compounds; or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       12. The method of claim 8, wherein the cysteinamide is included in an amount of about 4% to about 16% by weight of the composition. 
     
     
       13. The method of claim 8, wherein the cysteinamide is included in the composition in an amount of about 9% to about 16% by weight of the composition.